Keeping your family safe is a top priority for any parent. As the world continues to become increasingly digital, there are more and more opportunities for hackers or someone with malicious intentions to break into personal accounts. Many parents use alert apps to monitor their kids while keeping them safe. An alert app can provide you with peace of mind by letting you know when your child arrives home from school, leaves their location, or if they leave a pre-determined safe zone (like school grounds).
It could be challenging to tell whether your child has left school without permission or been abducted by someone who has won their confidence without using one of these applications.
What to Look for in a Family Alert App
There are many different family alert apps on the market today. Before you commit to one, ensure it has the features you need. Below are the questions to ask yourself before choosing a family alert app.
- Is the app free? If not, how much does it cost?
- Is there a free trial so that you can see how it works?
- What type of alerts can you receive?
- How many people can receive these alerts?
- Can you customize the alerts so that they are relevant to your family?
- What type of device can you use the app on?
- Is it compatible with both Apple and Android devices?
- Can you sync it with other apps like Google Calendar or iCloud? How secure is the app?
- Does it have regular updates to keep it up-to-date and safe? Can you add additional features to the app, like a GPS locator or a panic button?
What to Know Before Installing an App
While family safety apps are an excellent way to communicate with your family and ensure they are safe, it's important to remember that they are not replacements for good parenting. Before you download and install an app to track your kids, ensure that everyone in your family knows their existence; explain to your kids why you installed them and that they can have a say in which app you choose.
9 Great Apps for Keeping Your Family Safe
Many family alert apps are on the market today, but not all are created equal. For choosing the right family safety app, you'll want to select one that is dependable, secure, and straightforward. Here are a few of the best family alert apps:
1. Family Locator
This software will allow you to monitor your loved ones' whereabouts and send notifications if anything appears amiss. More than 5 million people have downloaded the software, which is available at no cost.
2. iTriage
This app lets you track your family members' health. You can receive alerts if someone is experiencing a medical emergency and has fallen unconscious. This app is free for up to five people and has been downloaded over 10 million times.
3. Life360
This family safety app lets you track your loved ones and helps you remember necessary appointments. It also allows you to send and receive messages. This app is also free. Continuous location tracking may seem overkill to some, but you'll be glad you implemented it when an emergency arises. For example, if you hear of a school emergency or a storm in your daughter's town, everyone in the group may use the app to know where everyone else is.
If a storm is brewing near your loved one's place or you will be visiting, you can even set up a new GPS alert to be warned the instant he or she crosses that path.
Life360 also has to message to SMS everyone in the private circle and a Help Alert tool that phones, texts, and emails group members when enabled.
4. Zello
Zello is a walkie-talkie software that makes communicating with individuals and groups simple. It's also helpful in aiding communication between children and the elderly, who may not know how to properly use a phone.
You can set up secret channels so only specific individuals can see the messages. Still, you can also set up public channels that anybody may join. Search for anything broad, such as weather, or something particular, such as a hurricane name or city, and check whether there are any public Zello channels.
The ability to lock your phone while remaining connected to a Zello channel is a lifesaver in an emergency.
5. FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a federal agency in the United States that works under DHS. FEMA's smartphone app allows users to get real-time warnings about various calamities.
When you add a new location to receive alerts, you have complete control over the types of alerts to monitor, including flooding, coastal and lakeshore flooding, severe weather (thunderstorms and tornadoes), tropical weather (hurricanes and typhoons), winter weather (snow, ice, freezing rain), avalanches, fire, extreme temperatures, marine weather, public hazard alerts, and more.
Unlike other comparable applications, FEMA also sends out emergency notifications for evacuations, civil peril, child abductions, hazardous materials, nuclear power plants, radioactive risks, 911 phone outages, riots, and explosions, among other things.
FEMA is also a disaster-ready app because it provides emergency safety information, reminder notifications for checking smoke alarms, and updating emergency packs, catastrophe resources such as shelters, and other services.
6. Nextdoor
During an emergency, the community is essential. Nextdoor is a community-based social network and emergency family alert system in one. You'll be the first to know through the app if someone in your region reports an emergency.
Once you've linked with your neighbors through Nextdoor, you may speak with them to locate shelter, coordinate the sharing of food and water, obtain emergency information, and so on.
7. Mamabear app
With today's technology, there's no excuse not to know where your loved ones are at all times, particularly your children. We as parents want to know that our children are secure, mainly while they are not with us. You may set up notifications for location activities using the MamaBear app.
It will enable you to give them some independence without continuously calling or texting to check in on them. Using this software will provide you with plenty of peace of mind!
8. Screen Time app
Children who are not watched will spend hours online or playing games. And hours of screen time every day are bad for anybody, much alone a developing child. You may use the Screen Time app to establish time limitations at school or any other day. You may also block access to select applications at specified times. You may even pause or offer extra time to your child's gadget from your phone.
9. Teen safe app
As much as more minor children need supervision when watching YouTube, your adolescents require assistance while texting. Did you know that about 75% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 are bullied? 59% of those surveyed said they have been harassed or bullied online.
You can examine received, transmitted, and even deleted text messages using TeenSafe. You'll also be able to monitor your teen's behavior on social networking applications. It also teaches excellent driving practices by pushing students to focus on the road.
Furthermore, it eliminates distractions from sounds and clicks from your child's phone. Moreover, it only permits people to make and receive calls while driving.
Final Words
It's not simple to ensure the safety of your loved ones, but it's work that's well worth the reward. Keep tabs on your loved ones with the help of a family alert app. Many apps on the market today let you track the location of your loved ones, receive alerts if something seems off, and communicate with them in various ways. You can choose the family alert app that works best for you, and rest assured that your family is safe and secure.
